Haunted Ground (19 page)

I heard a sickening crunch as Aidan hit Colin in the face, making him stagger backwards, stunned as much by pain as by the interruption.  He nearly lost his balance, but managed to right himself, his face twisted with fury.  Blood was trickling from his nose into his mouth and staining his teeth like a vampire who’d just been feeding.  Colin let out a bellow of rage and charged Aidan, knocking him into the wall and punching him in the stomach again and again with a demented viciousness that left Aidan gasping for breath and trying to ward off the blows.  I looked around desperately for something to use as a weapon, but there was nothing besides the flashlight, which was on the other side of the room.  My mind was screaming for me to go get it, but I felt paralyzed with inaction, my limbs trembling uncontrollably as I just lay there in a heap, sobbing.

I crawled into a corner, wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my forehead against my knees, eyes closed.  I could hear sounds of struggle, the dull thud of fists finding their targets, and Colin’s vicious curses, but I couldn’t bear to look.  I felt dizzy and nauseous, desperate for some fresh air and light, but I couldn’t get up even if I had a mind to.  My legs felt like Jell-O and my ears were ringing, probably from the blow to my head.

I finally opened my eyes and tried to focus on the scene before me, but in the dim light of the room, it was difficult to tell who had the upper hand.  Colin was still bleeding, the front of his shirt stained red as he continued to pummel Aidan.  Colin was crazed, his eyes rolling in his head, his mouth in a snarl as he tried to kick Aidan in the stomach.  Aidan punched Colin hard; sending him crashing to the floor with a loud thunk before jumping on top in an effort to subdue him, but Colin was thrashing and trying to throw Aidan onto his back.  I screamed in terror as I saw the glint of a blade in Colin’s hand. 

“I’ll kill you, you bloody wanker!” Colin screeched.  “I’ll slash your face to ribbons.”

He was stabbing at Aidan blindly, dazed by the fall.  Aidan pinned Colin’s hand to the floor and ground his wrist into the stone until Colin finally let go of the knife, panting and spitting in Aidan’s face. 

“You bloody bastard,” Aidan spat out, breathing hard.  “If you ever come near her again, I’ll kill you with my bare hands, but first I’ll geld you with your own knife, just to show you I’m serious.”  Aidan punched Colin hard in the face several times until the fight finally went out of him and his eyes rolled into the back of his head, his body going slack. 

“Lexi, are you hurt?” Aidan asked gently as he crouched beside me and touched my bruised face.  “Did he…?”  I shook my head as Aidan pulled me close to him.  I tried to remain strong, but the terror of the past few minutes washed over me.  I began to sob uncontrollably, my whole body shaking as Aidan tried to hold me and soothe me, whispering words of comfort and kissing the top of my head.  The front of my dress was torn and my underwear about a foot from Aidan’s feet, thrown there by Colin after he tore it off.  I tasted blood and the salt from my tears as I buried my face in Aidan’s shoulder, holding on like a drowning person to a bit of flotsam.

“You’re bleeding,” Aidan said as he held his hand up to his face in the dim light of the room.  “Did that filthy piece of shit hit you?”  The back of my head was stinging where it scraped against the rock and my left cheek and my wrists were scratched and bleeding, as was my lip which split when Colin hit my face against the wall. 

“I’ll kill him,” Aidan muttered viciously as he looked at Colin, who was lying in a heap on the floor. 

“Aidan, I’m all right, really, I am,” I lied, but he just helped me to my feet and held on to me as I nearly lost my balance.  My legs wouldn’t hold me up, so Aidan walked me out the door and propped me against the wall as he put the padlock back on. 

“What are you doing?” I asked in horror.  Was he planning to just leave him there?

“That should keep him on ice till the coppers get here.  Now, let’s get you upstairs.”  Aidan lifted me off my feet, and I gratefully rested my head against his chest as he carried me through the basement and back out into the light of the kitchen.  It was still pouring outside, the room nearly as dark as it would be at dusk, but compared to the basement the light seemed brilliant.

“What in the bloody hell happened?” George asked, his mouth hanging open as he beheld my battered state and torn clothes and Aidan’s bruised face.

“Call the police,” Aidan said and walked right past him toward the stairs.  “And bring me a basin of warm water and a towel.”

“Bloody hell,” George uttered again as Aidan brushed past him.    “Where’s Colin?”

“Locked up in the cellar,” Aidan replied as he carried me up the stairs and set me down on the bed.  I could tell from the look in his eyes that I looked way worse than I first thought.  My head was throbbing, and my lip was beginning to swell.  I tried to smile, but it turned into a grimace as the cuts on my face split further open and began to bleed.

Aidan accepted the basin of water and a towel from George, who was gaping at me in horror.  “Colin did that?” he asked, obviously unable to wrap his brain around what he was seeing.  “Bollocks.” 

  “George, why don’t you ring Doc Delaney and ask him to come over right away?” Aidan suggested as he gently sponged my face with warm water.

“I’m fine,” I mumbled, but my legs were bouncing on the bed, and my teeth chattered as my body reacted to the shock of what I experienced. 

“Nevertheless,” Aidan said, gesturing for George to get going. 

I sat up and wrapped my arms around Aidan’s neck, needing to feel his strong arms around me.   He made me feel secure, and that was what I needed at the moment.  The physical scars would heal, but the sudden notion that something horrible could happen to me when I least expected it was just taking root in my mind.  I hadn’t liked Colin, but I never expected him to attack me.  Had Aidan not come along when he had, Colin would have raped me, and possibly even killed me.  I had no idea how far he’d been willing to go.  I tried not to think of the knife he pulled on Aidan.  He might have killed him had I not screamed when I did and the thought nearly made me sick.  Aidan could have died because of me, because of my carelessness.

“How did you find me?” I finally asked as I pulled away and studied Aidan’s worried face.

“I passed by your room and saw that you weren’t there, so I thought you might have gone down to make a cup of tea.  The big torch was missing off the counter, the door to the cellar was open, and Colin was nowhere to be seen.  I got worried.”

I pulled further away from Aidan and scrutinized his face.  “Why would you be worried if Colin went after me?  Has this happened before?”

“There was an incident a few years ago.  Colin had assaulted a girl he’d been seeing and worked her over pretty badly.  He was still a minor then, so he was sentenced to several months at a juvenile facility, which he served and was released early for good behavior.  He seemed genuinely remorseful and went to apologize to the girl as soon as he was freed.  She forgave him, but has given him a wide berth ever since.  Colin had a hard time getting a job, so I hired him as a favor to Paula.  I thought he deserved a chance, but I never would have let him in the house had I thought he might hurt anyone.”

Aidan looked as if he were about to cry, clearly feeling responsible for what happened in the basement.  I cupped his cheek as I tried to smile without making my lip bleed again.  “Aidan, you couldn’t have known he would do this.”

“No.  I thought it was a one-off and he’d learned his lesson, but I was wrong.  So wrong.” 

“It wasn’t your fault,” I said firmly, but Aidan just looked away, his battered face contorted with guilt.  He’d taken quite a beating and his sharp intake of breath didn’t go unnoticed when I accidentally touched his stomach.  “It wasn’t your fault,” I repeated.  He nodded, but I knew he blamed himself anyway.

“Why did Paula want you to hire him?” I asked, suddenly realizing what he’d said earlier.

“He’s her brother.  She’s actually thrown a lot of work my way by way of thank you.  I’m so sorry, Lexi.”

“He said that I purposely provoked him and led him on.  Did I do something to cause this?”

“Of course not.  It was all in his mind.  He has trouble with women, and maybe he misread the signs, which is in no way an excuse for what he’s done.”

I heard the sound of a siren as a police car pulled up to the house.  “I’ll be right back,” Aidan promised.  I suspected he wanted to talk to the officers without forcing me to relive what’d happened.  I closed my eyes and tried to block out the sound of the voices.  The whole thing still felt unreal, like a terrible dream, but the stinging of my head and face was proof enough that I hadn’t imagined it. 

A young cop poked his face in the door and took a look at me before retreating into the hallway.  I supposed I would have to make some kind of a statement, but thankfully, it didn’t have to be right now.  He’d seen enough to know that Aidan had been telling the truth.  I put my hands over my ears as I heard Colin cursing at the officers and threatening to kill Aidan as he was escorted out of the house, and then I started crying again.

I liked Dr. Delaney instantly.  He looked exactly as I would expect a country GP to look: white-haired, bespectacled, and ruddy from the outdoors.  He smiled at me warmly, which made me feel better.  I’ve always been put off by pursed lips and expressions of concern, so I was glad that he didn’t appear horrified by my appearance, although I was sure he was trying to hide his shock.   

“A filthy day out there,” he announced as he set down his doctor’s bag and sat down on the side of the bed, taking my hand and checking my pulse without me even realizing it at first.  “Fog as thick as pea soup.  How are you enjoying our English weather, my dear?”

“It’s been pretty good so far,” I answered, surprised to be discussing the weather after what just happened downstairs.  I supposed it was meant to distract me and make me feel more at ease, and it was working.  Had I been feeling better, I might have noticed the way his eyes widened behind his horn-rimmed glasses when he saw me up close, or the way he tried to immediately rearrange his features to hide his surprise, but I was too miserable to care.  I was getting used to people staring at me in this village.

“Do you like fishing?” he asked as he pulled a stethoscope from his bag. 

“Not particularly.  I don’t have the patience to just sit there with a fishing pole, waiting for fish to bite.  I prefer instant gratification,” I replied.

“You young people,” Dr. Delaney said with a chuckle.  “Fishing is the closest thing I have to a religion, but don’t mention that to the vicar.  There’s nothing like watching the sun come up as you stand knee-deep in the river, your soul at one with nature, the world just beginning to wake up all around you as you reel in your first catch of the day.”   

I obediently allowed the good doctor to take my pulse and blood pressure, shine a light into my pupils, listen to my heart and lungs, and run his gentle hands over my head to make sure that there was nothing more serious than scratches.  He asked a few delicate questions about how far Colin actually got, while regaling me with tales of his fishing trip to Scotland the previous summer.  Thankfully, there was no need for an internal exam.  Had Colin actually succeeded, there’d be a rape kit and a lot of probing and swabbing, but it wasn’t necessary.  Dr. Delaney put away his instruments and shut his medical bag with a snap of finality before turning his smiling face toward me.

“My diagnosis is that you are bruised and mildly concussed as a result of hitting your head.”  He made it sound as if I banged my head on the wall for lack of anything better to do.  “I daresay it could have been a lot worse.  I’d like you to stay in bed today and tomorrow, and I’ll prescribe something for the headache.  I can also give you a mild sedative if you’d like one.” 

Normally, I would have said no to a sedative, but I was feeling somewhat hysterical, and something that would take the edge off probably wouldn’t hurt too much.  I knew that the worst wasn’t over.  I was putting on a brave face, but inside, I was going to pieces, my mind replaying every moment of what happened in that basement and adding different outcomes, ones in which Aidan didn’t appear in time.  I hadn’t even realized that I began to shake again as tears slid down my cheeks.  I didn’t protest as Dr. Delaney pulled a syringe out of his bag and gave me a shot of something.  I just wanted oblivion.

I felt a wonderful heaviness begin to descend as the shaking diminished and my limbs seemed to sink into the mattress.  My mind stopped spinning, and I felt a pleasant drowsiness envelop me in its embrace.  I could still hear the doctor’s voice, talking to Aidan, but it came from somewhere far away, as if he were on Earth, and I was floating on some fluffy cloud high above the ground, a gentle sun shining on my face and a wonderful breeze caressing my cheek.

By the time I awoke the house was silent.  The storm seemed to have intensified, plunging the room into shadows as the clouds hung low over the horizon, the steady downpour creating the soothing symphony of flowing water.  It was well past noon, so I’d been out for at least two hours. 

My headache was still there, but now it was more of a dull ache and not nearly as intense as before, and my mouth felt as if someone had stuffed it full of cotton wool.  I would have loved a glass of water, but I couldn’t seem to find the will to move my limbs.  Water would have to wait.  I closed my eyes and waited for the drowsiness to pass, but my somnolence disappeared as I heard a noise from downstairs.  Someone was in the house with me, and they were coming up the stairs.  I knew I had no reason to suspect it was anyone who wished me harm, but after what happened that morning I wasn’t thinking rationally.

I breathed a sigh of relief as Dot Martin poked her head through the door and gave me a warm smile.  “Ah, you’re awake.  I thought you might like some tea and a sandwich.  You’ve missed lunch and it’s nearly teatime.  How are you feeling, love?”

I must have been out longer than I thought.  I didn’t know if could manage a sandwich, but a cup of tea sounded heavenly.  I sat up and accepted a cup from Dot, who sat down next to me companionably and bit into a biscuit.  I was glad to see her.  Her presence was comforting, and thankfully, she didn’t ask any questions.

“I had no idea you were here,” I said, hoping she’d fill me in on what happened since I fell asleep.  The great thing about Dot is that all she needed was an opening sentence.

“Oh, yes.  Aidan rang me and asked me to keep you company for a while.  Said you weren’t feeling well and needed looking after.  Well, I’m always happy to help.  Didn’t have any grand plans, especially on a wet day like today.  I did have a call from Mildred Higgins though.  Seems Colin has been arrested this morning, but she didn’t know the whole story yet.  No doubt I’ll have it from her tomorrow, gory details and all.” 

Dot’s eyes were full of expectation that I might fill in the blanks, but I couldn’t bear to talk of what happened.  I knew that by tomorrow the whole village would probably know, and the thought made me sick to my stomach, but they wouldn’t hear it from me.  I was, however, curious as to what Dot had to say about Colin. 

“Do you know Colin well?” I asked as I reached for a sandwich after all.  I was suddenly hungry, which according to my mother was always a good sign.

“I’ve known him since the day he was born.  Paula was none too happy, that I can tell you.  Wanted a sister, she did.  And Colin was such a dour little boy; nothing like his sister.  One hardly noticed him except when he fixed you with that stare.  Funny, their parents are the loveliest people.  Makes you wonder about all that DNA business, doesn’t it?”

“Has he ever been in any trouble before?”

“There were a few teenage high jinks, but nothing that I know of except for the incident with Lisa.  Accused him of assault,” Dot said confidentially, lowering her voice as if the walls had ears.  “I never did buy into that whole story.  She teased him mercilessly.  Everyone knew he fancied her; all the boys did.  A right slag she was, if you don’t mind my saying.  All those short skirts and tight little tops.  Well, she drove him too far, most like, then accused him of rape.”

“Didn’t he hit her?” I asked, surprised at Dot’s version of events. 

“She had some bruises.  No one ever knew how much of her story was true.  The police had her examined at the hospital and said there were signs of intercourse, but she was shagging a few local boys.  Who’s to say it was Colin she’d been with?  She claimed he forced her, but there was no physical proof.  No semen.  Now, how many rapists would put on a rubber before attacking someone?”  Dot gave a meaningful look before reaching for another sandwich. 

“The police released all that information?” I was aghast that the people in the village would know so much about a case. 

“No, of course not,” replied Dot, smiling at me indulgently.  “Mildred’s niece’s daughter works at the hospital and was there when Lisa was brought in.  She got it from one of the nurses.”

“The rumor mill works around the clock around here, doesn’t it?” I asked, disgusted that this poor girl had been afforded no privacy.  No wonder she left.  By tomorrow, everyone would know what happened, and I would be tried and judged by public opinion.  Would people say that I provoked it and brought it on myself?  Would they defend Colin because he was one of their own?  Dot had seen my bruises and probably already knew exactly what happened, but she wasn’t interrogating me, probably in the hope that I would confide in her and tell her the titillating details.  The thought made me sick, and I suddenly wished that she would just leave.  It was good of Aidan not to leave me alone, but I couldn’t bear the thought that even while Dot appeared sympathetic, she was already preparing her report for Mildred and anyone else who’d listen.      

I pricked up my ears as I heard the door opening downstairs.  There were quick steps on the stairs and then Aidan appeared in the doorway.  “Sorry I took so long.  I stopped by my house to pick up a few things while the chemist prepared the prescription. I got some takeaway too.  I thought you might be hungry.”  He set a bag of something that smelled really good on the nightstand and pulled out a bottle of pills from his pocket. 

“Dot, I can give you a lift home if you like.”  I was amused to see Dot’s face as she took in Aidan’s duffle bag, but she made no comment and rose to her feet.  Her mind was probably going a mile a minute, but I didn’t care.  I suddenly felt much better knowing that Aidan hadn’t forgotten about me and wanted to spend the night.  Colin was locked up for the moment, but having Aidan there was better than any medicine Doctor Delaney could have prescribed. 

“Now, why don’t you go back to sleep and I’ll just run Dot home?  Later, if you want, we can watch a movie.  I brought a few of my favorites just in case.  I can move the telly in here.”

“Are they all action movies with car chases and lots of shooting?” I asked, wondering what type of movies Aidan liked.

“No, they are heartwarming romantic dramas with Colin Firth and Hugh Grant,” he replied with a grin and made a face that almost made me laugh. 

“All right, car chases it is then.”

What we actually ended up watching was
Spamalot
.  I’d never seen Monty Python, but I have to say that Aidan’s choice was inspired.  I wasn’t in the mood for an action flick, and watching a romantic movie together might have felt too intimate.  We had a few laughs and by the time the movie finished, I had my head on Aidan’s shoulder and his arm was casually around me.  As the DVD finished, the room was illuminated by the bluish light of the TV screen, and the rain outside continued to fall, adding to the intimate atmosphere.  I was suddenly very aware of Aidan’s body so close to mine, his masculine smell and stubbly cheek against my temple, and my feelings took me completely by surprise, especially after what happened that morning.  Strangely, Colin’s attack made me acutely aware of how alone I was, and although I’d never been the type of person to believe that a woman needed a man to feel complete, I wanted to be loved, and yes, protected.  I wanted to feel cherished and secure, and somewhere deep inside, I believed that Aidan might be the one who could give me that.

I suddenly felt him tense up against me as he shifted his weight, and I looked up to find him watching me in the dim light of the bedroom.  What I saw in his eyes was a reflection of my own feelings, and it was the most natural thing when his lips found mine, and his other arm went around me to pull me closer.  Aidan’s kiss was tender and sweet, but full of promise; a promise that would be fulfilled once the events of today were behind us.  Now wasn’t the time to explore our feelings for each other, and I certainly didn’t want anything that happened to be tainted by the memory of Colin, so I snuggled closer to Aidan, feeling safe and cared for, and for the moment, that was better than anything.